Acts of Random Kindness to You

I often hear people remark that there is nothing in the news, but bad news. I decided today to take a couple days worth of newspapers and see what I could discover that might not be bad news. It may take a little more looking, but I found that there is good news to be found.

I would like to share with you two articles that caught my attention in the newspaper today. The first was about a lady from Plattsburgh, NY. You may not know where that is, but it is about as far north as you can get in New York State and it is also home to the best college in the world, SUNY Plattsburgh !  Anyway, back to the story. This lady, Linda Howard found a bank deposit bag in the road. Inside was $15,000 and can you guess what she did? She headed for the local police department to turn it in. It turned out that an employee of a local business had set it atop her car and forgot about it.  I can’t even imagine how surprised and pleased they were to get it back.  Linda Howard is sure making the world a better place by being an honest citizen.

Another story in the paper that really kind of caught me off guard was about a politician from the Albany, NY area. Bob Reilly announced that he is donating his after tax salary to groups that need it in the Albany and Saratoga area. Over the years, this assemblyman has donated over $218,000 to such groups. He has a simple reason for this kindness, he wants people to think better of their government.  That seems like a good reason to me, how about you?

So, it goes to show that news like anything else is all about perspective. There is good news to be found if you are looking and their is kindness all around us. Sometimes, we just need to take a fresh look. Here’s to hoping you are having a wonderful weekend.

I hope that all of you had a wonderful week. My week was busy as usual, but we did have a snow day which gave a much needed sleeping in time on Wednesday morning. It is the one good thing about our weather here in the Northern part of New York State.

The reality of life is that we all have to work. I am lucky as I love my job and that makes getting up in the morning a little easier. However, what I can’t understand is that when opportunities present themselves, why anyone would not want to make a place that they spend so much time a better place to be. After all, if I have to be there than it would be nice to enjoy it as much as I can.

Some people are naturally good at this and no matter what is going on in their lives, they always seem to want to spread kindness. Such is the case of one lady that teaches down the hall from me. For as long as I have worked at this building, her husband has been ill with Alzheimer’s. When she discovered that my family was struggling with the same thing, she offered any and all assistance, information, or even just an ear. Not a week has gone by that she hasn’t inquired about me or my parents whom she has never even met. She is simply by nature a good person with a very large heart.

This lady has lead by example both to her students and to other teachers. She doesn’t gossip and she goes about her day making the best of it. It makes those around her want to do the same. This week, I was concerned when I walked by her door because she looked a little down and out. After a brief discussion, it became apparent that her husband had declined rapidly recently and she was feeling sad. (Such is the case when living with a loved one that has Alzheimer’s)

On top of it, she had recently had a granddaughter born and was so thrilled, but certainly not as much as she could have been if her husband was well and able to share in it with the family. It wasn’t long after talking that things turned to my family as they so often do with her. She isn’t one to focus on herself. As we parted ways, it got me thinking that kindness in the workplace is something that is planted and will grow if we let it.

Today, I had flowers sent to this amazing coworker with a simple congratulations card attached to the new grandma. I know that it thrilled her. Certainly to spread kindness in the workplace, all acts don’t have to be something material, but they do have to be thoughtful and genuine. So, next week….see what you can do to make your job a better place to be. Be sure to come back and tell us how you are making the world better one act of random kindness at a time.

Imagine waking up one morning in a little north country town and having the free library destroyed by fire. That is exactly what happened in the small community of Depauville, NY. Maybe it is the reader in me or maybe it is the teacher, but whatever it is, it made me sad.

I hadn’t heard much about this little library in quite some time and then last night on our local news, they finally mentioned that it is repaired and ready to roll with one exception. There are still no books. Oh, not to worry, they are working on establishing some grants and funds and probably are just plain happy to be back on their feet, but in the meanwhile, the shelves remain bare and the library closed.

So, I began talking today with a few of my students. It isn’t my community and it isn’t their community, but it is a north country community nonetheless. I have a few extra sets of brand new books that I had purchased and received and the light bulb went on. So, my students looked up the address to the little library and filled out the envelope in preparation of sending them some books to put on their shelves.

These books by themselves won’t reopen the little Depauville Free Library, but they will let the good people there know that we are thinking of them and wishing them well. Did you find something kind to do today? Big or small, remember it is all about making the world a better place one act of random kindness at a time.

Anybody that takes the time to blog is usually doing it because they want to get a message out. A blogger wants other people to read what they have to say and in the day of the Internet, it has become easier and easier for people to publish their thoughts.

The message of this blog of course is kindness and what a change it can make in the world. That being said, I want to take just a moment and thank those of you that are reading the blog. I see your comments and it makes me smile. If even one person is hearing me, it makes all the difference.

So, I thank you for taking a few minutes out of your busy lives to hear me. It means more than you can ever know. You are the type of people that are making the world a better place. Have a wonderful week !

I don’t think I have mentioned in prior posts that I have the good fortune of working with children. However, even better than that is the fact that I don’t work with just any children, I work with high school age kids that have a few learning difficulties. This is an awesome job because they know what it means to struggle and often times, some of the toughest ones in the classroom are the kindest to the underdogs in the building. Let me share a couple of examples.

The other day we had a fire drill and as we headed down the three flights of stairs, I somehow got separated from a young lady that struggles with her vision. As the hundreds of students pushed down the stairwell, I was worried she was going to stumble. However, no sooner than I worried,  a young man also from my classroom did something amazing. This young man, turned around and handed the girl the back of his shirt. Slowly, her guided her down the rest of the stairs and out to the parking lot without incident. There he stood in the parking lot with this little bitty thing still holding tight to his shirt. He never asked her to let go or even indicated that he had done something so kind. He just stood there. I was so touched that I teared up.

Another incident several years ago still stays with me as well. I had this boy that was repeating his senior year and to put it mildly, he was the toughest case I had ever met. He had no parents, for all intents and purposes was homeless, but I knew he had something in him that nobody had gotten to yet. He became my mission that year. Throughout the year, somehow this boy began to care. Oh, he could still be a royal pain, but he started doing things like helping substitute teachers out when I was away or reading things to another student if I got busy across the room and they were struggling. He took kids under his wing that were overweight or that didn’t have friends and looked out for them in the cafeteria. In short, his heart began to shine. He graduated that year and people were amazed that he had made it.  I was amazed that nobody had noticed before what this young man was capable of being.

In short, don’t sell kids short in the game of kindness. They will engage in whatever is modeled for them. You don’t have to nag or preach to them, simply show them kindness and then stand back to watch the world become a better place for all of us.

I am sure many of you have read the children’s story called “Stone Soup” and are wondering what on earth that has to do with being kind.  I don’t know about anywhere else in the country, but here in Northern NY, it means a lot about random kindness.

Several local churches have started having what they call Stone Soup dinners. These dinners are free to anyone and everyone. It makes no difference if you have no money or if you are a millionaire just looking for someone to have dinner with while enjoying their company.

The dinners seem to be a hit and due to the church making it known that this isn’t simply a charity event, they seem to be bringing the communities closer. The dinners are anything from a full turkey dinner to meatloaf dinner to a pancake dinner depending on the week.

I think that organized religion should do more things like this and open their doors to everyone for something so heartwarming. The prices of everything are going up and people in the world are feeling more and more isolated, so what a great thing this concept could turn out to be for everyone. If you get a chance in your area, pass it on.

After all, the world would be a better place if we all found just a little more kindness.

Valentine’s Day is here again and for many, that means all kinds of material goods. It also means that some people will feel sad or left out of traditional Valentine’s Day couple activities. It doesn’t need to be this way. As a matter of fact, make it another day to spread some extra kindness or cheer.

Take 30 minutes when you head home from work and visit an elderly or disabled person you know. Drop them off a few homemade cookies or even a handmade valentine card. In the same time it takes you to watch one television show, you could e-mail an old friend or call your parents, siblings or other family member just to say hello.

For me, Valentine’s Day isn’t about money or even about being part of a couple which I am fortunate enough to have an amazing husband. Instead, it is about loving everyone and being kind. Imagine actually making someone else’s heart grow on this day. Don’t worry if they aren’t expecting it, that is what makes it even better.

I challenge all my friends, family, and readers to LOVE A LITTLE DEEPER and make the world a kinder place on the 14th. Happy Valentine’s Day !!

I was reading a little newspaper here yesterday and it had a little blurb about a story from back in 1995. As I am always looking for heartwarming and inspirational stories, it caught my eye. Many of you have probably heard the story, but as for me, I must have been too busy worrying about college to pay attention to the kindness of others in the world.

Anyway, as the story has it, a man got his hands on a million dollar monopoly piece.  It appears that the where and how of getting this piece might have been shady, but that isn’t the heart of the story. So, he mailed this piece to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Can you imagine their reaction to receiving a million dollar donation?

Of course, when it came around to being possibly a stolen piece, you would think that takes the heart from the story. Until, the huge corporation Mcdonalds decided to honor the donation anyways in $50,000 payments each year until it is fully paid.  That put McDonalds on a new level in my eyes and that was truly an Act of Random Kindness.

Sometimes we need to remember that Acts of Random Kindness certainly aren’t apparent at the outset of something we do and they usually aren’t million dollar acts, but every one of them counts in making the world a better place to live. Have a great day!

My father has Alzheimer’s disease and it is advancing very quickly. He is only 63 years old and it makes it tough on my mother who is still working full time as an ER nurse. She has to work overnights to allow the rest of us to be home while she works. It becomes exhausting.

However, one good thing has come out of all of this. My brother and his wife along with my husband and myself have grown closer and closer. We rely on each other to get through what needs to be done.

You always hear when you are younger that the day will come you will need your siblings. Of course, at that time you don’t believe it, but it is true. We were lucky in that we married good spouses and that we all have good careers with some flexibility.

So, the next time you get upset with a family member, just remember how very much you might need them one day.

This weekend, I had an opportunity to participate in a very moving event. It lasted only 10 minutes or so, but will remain with me for years to come. It cost me nothing, but time to participate and I am a better person for having been a part.

A 20 year-old soilder was killed in action in Iraq on January 6th. It was not unusual to hear about as I live right near Fort Drum, NY which is a very heavily deployed base. However, what was unusual is that this young man grew up and went to school in the community closest to ours. The media asked people to please join the community by lining the sides of the streets as he returned home for his last time.

As the flashing lights could be seen in the distance, businesses began to close and employees filtered to the streets with the rest of us. Veterans stood at attention at the local VFW for an hour before this young man’s arrival back home. It was silent as the fire department, police cars, soilders, and finally this young man’s family passed through the streets. The casket passed and both adults and children held their flags a little higher and placed their hands on their hearts. It was a tribute to a fallen hero.

I can’t imagine what it was like to be at war or even what it is like as a family to get that message, but I have no doubts that the family was made proud by their community on this Saturday morning. It brings tears to my eyes even now as I replay it in my mind.

The kindness shown by this community cost nothing except a little bit of time. However, the pride and peace it must have brought the family is not measurable. Please keep both your local military members as well as all military members in your hearts and minds. It is not about our opinions on the war, it is about humans losing their lives for us and for our freedom.